EPO body seeks talks to heal staff relations

The European Patent Office’s (EPO) supervisory body has said its “highest priority is the restoration of social dialogue”.

In a statement following its recent two-day meeting, the Administrative Council (AC) said it wanted to improve dialogue between the staff union, the AC and the EPO.

A “kick-off” meeting between the three parties has been scheduled for April, the AC said.

Earlier this month, WIPR revealed that a staff member had claimed there were rumours that staff representatives were to be offered talks with AC and EPO representatives.

Certain staff members, unhappy with various governance issues at the office, have staged a series of protests and strikes against the AC and the office’s president Benoît Battistelli.

During its meeting, held from March 25 to 26, the AC was handed a document by Battistelli that included plans for a “structural reform” of the boards of appeal.

According to the AC, the aim is to “ensure the independence” of the boards and to reinforce the “general perception of their autonomy, within the framework of the European Patent Convention (EPC)”.

The question surrounding independence of appeal board members was brought to light at the end of last year when Battistelli imposed a ‘house ban’ on a member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal following allegations of misconduct.

Battistelli’s decision was backed in December by the AC, which then suspended the member.

The 28 appeal boards, including the Enlarged Board, are supposed to be independent from the EPO in their decision-making and are bound only by the EPC.

At the recent meeting, the AC also passed changes to staff rules including sick leave.

EPO staff will now get only three days of sick leave per year that they do not need to account for. After that, every single day of sick leave will have to be certified by evidence.

A requirement for an employee who is on sick leave to be at his or her place of residence from 10am to 12pm, and 2pm to 4pm, was also approved.